Area veterans looking for some time away in the great outdoors need look no further than Outward Bound, a non-profit outdoor education group that takes veterans on backpacking excursions in far away places.
It doesn’t matter what your current military status is (active, inactive, discharged, retired) — you’re eligible to attend as long as you deployed in support of OEF/OIF combat operations while in the military. These five-day excursions offer adventure activities such as backpacking, rock climbing, canyoneering, canoeing, and dog sledding in wilderness areas in Maine, Texas, Colorado, California, and Minnesota.
Now for the good news: All trip costs, including transportation to and from the excursion site, are covered by a Sierra Club grant. Yes, that means it's free.
Call Doug Hayward at 1-866-669-2362 ext. 8387 for more information or to sign up. You can also e-mail Doug at obvets (at) outwardbound (dot) org. Visit the Outward Bound Web site to find out more about the programs.
